Ham and Eggs

The old joke goes like this:

   A Pig and a Chicken are walking down the road.
   The Chicken says: "Hey Pig, I was thinking we should open a restaurant!"
   Pig replies: "Hmm, maybe. What would we call it?"
   The Chicken responds: "How about 'Ham-n-Eggs'?"
   The Pig thinks for a moment and says: "No thanks. I'd be committed, but you'd only be involved."

This joke is used a lot to describe the difference between participants in Agile Software development: Are you totally committed to the project? Or are you on the periphery and just stay informed on the process? I like to expand that into all employee relations.
Running a non-profit theater, we work whenever is necessary. Late nights, weekends (Weekends? What are those??) and odd hours. It's all part of the job. It also helps that I love my job (which counts for a lot since it is all-encompassing). When I spend an entire Sunday working at a student showcase, I might have a few thoughts in my head that wish I was somewhere else. Then I have a chance to see a student step on stage for the first time, and really do something outside their comfort zone. They go for the gold, and really stretch themselves to DO something scary. And you can see on their faces - they are fully committed.
So ask yourself, in each part of your job, are you fully committed? Or are you merely involved? And when the answer is you are just involved, ask yourself if that is something necessary for you specifically to be doing, or can it be delegated to someone else?
Being aware of what we are committing to will help you to do more, and stay focused.

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